Four wildfires were burning Monday in areas north of Los Angeles under strong winds, leaving at least one person killed, destroying dozens of mobile homes and prompting authorities to keep schools and highways closed.
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa confirmed in the morning that the so-called Marek fire in the Sunland area, about 50 kilometers north of downtown Los Angeles, had claimed at least one life.
The fire, which broke out early Sunday in the Angeles National Forest, had been 20 percent contained as of Monday morning as about 1,000 firefighters were fighting the blaze with support of helicopters and air tankers.
The fire so far has burned 3,700 acres, destroyed 37 mobile homes and forced the evacuation of about 1,200 people, fire officials said.
Meanwhile, local fire crews were also responding to three other fires that broke out in the northern Los Angeles area in the last 24 hours.
Los Angeles Unified School District officials have closed nine schools because of the fire in the Sunland area, where authorities also closed several highways in the area, causing traffic jams in the morning rush hours.
Severn fire crews from Northern California were helping local firefighters batting the blaze, and more team were on their way, according to fire officials.
An Angeles National Forest spokesman said earlier that the Marek fire will likely burn for several days. The cause of the fire was still under investigation, but authorities say it appears to have been set deliberately.
Source:Xinhua
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